


seven day bouquet

by mauvechilli



Series: seven day bouquet [1]
Category: Blue Lock (Manga)
Genre: 6+1 Things, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Anxiety, Flashbacks, Language of Flowers, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, kind of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27151402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mauvechilli/pseuds/mauvechilli
Summary: Seven encounters that bring seven emotions to work through. Seven stages of grief and seven resolutions.---A fic based off a game by @/pandansoda for their coursework. I hope you enjoy!
Relationships: to be added
Series: seven day bouquet [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993549
Kudos: 12





	1. shock

**Author's Note:**

> The first day of the week brings a familiar face, and suppressed memories.

Aoshi awoke to his tabby Spoon screaming in his face. She sat perched on his chest as she looked down at him. He scratched under the chin of his own little alarm clock for just a moment before she jumped off of his chest. He didn't feel up to going to work today. If he just closed his eyes, then…

Spoon yelled again, and Aoshi sighed. There was nothing for it, then. He couldn't neglect her like that. He slowly sat up to stretch, before throwing off his duvet. Today was Monday, and Aoshi had to open up the shop. Sometimes he wished he could quit and leave it all behind, but that wouldn't be what they wanted, would it? They would have wanted him to keep the shop, to keep giving people… What was it? He shook his head. Besides, Aoshi had to feed Spoon. He couldn't leave like that.

He went to the kitchen to get some wet food out for the screaming tabby, who settled once food was in front of her. Aoshi smiled and sighed. He could do this. He could get through today.

A quick check through the fridge told him he needed some more milk and groceries, but considering he'd woken up late it would just have to be a job for later. Perhaps for his lunch break, and maybe… Maybe he'll go to the bakery. Not to see Barou, or… Not just to see him, anyway. He could get a pie, or something. The thought of that lifted Aoshi's spirits just a little as he put together some scrambled egg.

He had a quick shower and made himself presentable before heading downstairs to the back of the shop, donning his apron. It was opening time in just under an hour, and he had to put together some arrangements for the front of the shop. He had a new hire coming… Or did he? Was that today?

Aoshi shook off the thought as he set to work. The shop never got too busy, so just a few should be fine. He selected the flowers carefully, showing off his eye for colour. Or, at least he had been told that he had an eye for colour, and he could do his best to prove it in his arrangements. That lily with those roses, and that foliage, and it was good to go.

Just in time, too. Aoshi took the arrangements to the shopfront and set them up in the display window.

Ten o'clock. He unlocked the shop door and flipped the sign, moving to sit at his counter, getting his laptop. His calendar reminded him the hire started on Wednesday, as well as alerting him to the delivery on Wednesday. In the meantime, he had nothing to keep him busy, so he planned ahead for the delivery. Mondays were quiet, so maybe he could take a longer break for lunch.

As expected, not many people came past, and those that did made small orders that he could arrange for them there and then. A relatively simple day, then. It was almost his lunch break now, and he was excited to drop by the bakery to speak to— _to buy_ a pie. Aoshi was taking off his apron when the bell rang, and he sighed, then looked up and froze.

Raichi Jingo. What was he doing here? He looked almost shell-shocked as he walked in, as if lost. It was weird, seeing someone who was so confident in school make an expression like that.

"Hi. Uh, what can I get for you?" Aoshi fidgeted, and he looked over. His eyes widened a fraction upon seeing him.

"Tokimitsu, right? It's been a while, how are you doing? You weren't at the class reunion, were you?"

"I'm alright." He said on default, and swallowed. "Things came up. What about you?"

Raichi shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. "Well… My girlfriend called whilst I was at work and she told me she was pregnant." He flexed his hand, grappling with himself for a moment. "I need a bouquet, but… I don't know what to get her."

He glared at his feet. Raichi looked every bit as uncomfortable as Tokimitsu felt, and he sat at the chair by Tokimitsu's counter.

"Are you alright?"

"I… I guess I'm not sure what to do." He scratches his neck, making a pained sort of face. "It came out of nowhere, to be honest. She wants to keep it, so I need to be positive for her, but… I don't think I'm ready. I don't think— I…" He bites his lip, and looks down. "I'm worried I won't be a good parent. It's all come out of the blue."

That was a lot of baggage that Tokimitsu was largely unprepared to handle. This was the first time someone had come to him with their issues, considering he was never the one to deal with customers, and it was with a stab of guilt that he left his seat to go look at flowers. "Is your bouquet for celebrating her pregnancy? Or…"

"Yeah. I think. I'm sorry, I don't have any ideas."

Alright, that was fine. What flowers would be best?

'Baby's breath represents happiness and everlasting love,' a voice in his mind supplied. 'Queen Anne's lace is for delicate femininity.'

Aoshi searched the store for those flowers and picked a few out. But he needed something else, something to round it out… Pink roses. Raichi watches as he puts together the bouquet, and soon there's something respectable in his grasp. He wraps it, and offers it to him. "How is it?

"This is perfect." He admired it, and smiled. "How much do I owe you?" Flustered, Aoshi named his price, and Raichi gave him extra. "Thank you."

He turned to the door, and Aoshi's mouth opened. "I think you need to take the time to process the news for yourself and find support. At the end of the day, it'll turn out alright."

Raichi stopped, and looked back. He turned to the bouquet in his hands and after a moment sighed, before nodding. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Tokimitsu."

He left. If he was being honest, Aoshi didn't know where that advice came from. He hoped it had helped, but… He looked over when he heard scratching to see Spoon entering his shop, despite the fact that he had shut the door upstairs. "Baby, what are you doing down here? I'll come up and feed you in a second." He checked his watch and sighed. Raichi's visit had decimated his lunch break, so he could only really get something from the convenience store. Maybe another day he could visit the bakery.

—

The rest of the day was considerably uneventful. Aoshi had some large orders placed for Thursday, but he found himself thinking over that interaction with Raichi, even after the shop closed and he was coming home from the supermarket. He had no idea where that advice came from, and he considered it as he walked upstairs to his apartment above the shop.

Take time to process the news. Look for support. It will be alright at the end of the day.

As he brushed his teeth and looked in the mirror, he reflected on the day.

"I did well today. Tomorrow…" He took a breath. "Tomorrow will be a new day."

He did his best to give himself a smile, and went to bed.

—

_His work days had always been stressful back then, and his one reprieve was looking at the bouquets in the flower shop _ _window._

_"Hey. You've been staring at the shop window for some time now. Would you like to come in?" They peered around the door frame at him, and he flushed red._

_"Oh, I— I was just looking at the arrangements. It's, uhm, fine." He smiled, and they cocked their head._

_"I made those. You look exhausted. I can make you some tea if you come in. I insist." The offer was too good to pass up, and he relented, coming in._

_"Is it really alright?"_

_"Of course. You like my arrangements, so you must have taste. I see you walk past my shop every day, and I always see you stop." They say from the back room, and he takes a seat on one of the consulting chairs. "Today is a slow day for me, so I thought I could be charitable and let you in, considering it's the middle of winter."_

_"Thank you. I, uhm, I just work nearby at the gym. I'm Tokimitsu."_

_They step out the back room now with a pair of teacups and a teapot, setting them down on the table to pour. "Ah, I see. Well, I'm—"_


	2. denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second day of the week sparks familiar feelings long forgotten.

He awoke with a start.

Aoshi hadn't expected to have a dream about… Them. He did his best not to think about it. Though, he had an interesting day yesterday, with Raichi coming in and helping him out. He hadn't been able to help anyone out like that, not since…

He forced himself to get out of bed. There was no use thinking about it. The mere thought cut further into a still open wound. So Aoshi distracted himself. Spoon weaved between his legs as he got a pouch of cat food out for her, and he turned the kettle on for a coffee. Focusing on looking after Spoon always seemed to help his mental health. He still remembered when he had adopted her from the shelter, when─

No, he wouldn't think about them. He turned his attention elsewhere. He had to get the shop ready, and check the agenda for today. There wasn't anything today, as far as he was aware, but tomorrow there was the new hire, Nanase, he thought, and the delivery. There hadn't been anyone working in the shop for a while, so Aoshi hoped he would be a good fit. It would be a weight off of his shoulders.

Today… What was he going to do to try and distract his thoughts from that dream? He could plan ahead for the order on Thursday, but…

There was always the option of going to the bakery at lunch, but Aoshi wasn't sure he could manage talking to Barou today, as much as he wanted to. Sometimes it was too much for him, especially when he asked too many questions, whether he had been eating properly, why he looked tired…

He got ready and headed downstairs. As he expected, it was a slow day. It left him too much time to think, and he did his best to concentrate those thoughts on what he would eat for dinner. He had to go shopping for more food for Spoon later, as they were due to run out tomorrow, so he could get some treats for her as well. Aoshi thought about everything bar that dream he had.

By the time his lunch break rolled around, he needed the distraction of feeding Spoon. He locked the door and swung the sign around, taking off his apron and heading upstairs. She was waiting as always, and jumped up on the counter. Aoshi scratched behind her ears and after getting her food tried to figure out what to make himself. A sandwich would be pretty good. That wouldn't be too hard to eat.

Aoshi decided to head to the store quickly, since he didn't have much to get and thirty minutes of his left of his break. Cat food, some treats for her, and then eggs, green onions, bread buns and beans. He should have everything else for burgers at home.

As he walked home, he saw a woman looking at the arrangements out at the front of the shop. Was she a customer? She looked conflicted, twirling a lock of brown hair around her finger.

He walked around the back to enter the back door, and went upstairs to put away his shopping. Just in time, too, an hour was almost up. Aoshi put his apron on and headed back down into the shop, and she was still there, waiting. He unlocked the door and swung the sign over, doing his best not to stare. Once he was behind his counter, the woman stood. She stared at the door, and took a breath before entering.

"I need a bouquet!"

Her cheeks flushed red, and Aoshi blinked as she clenched her fists. "Uh, what's the occasion?"

"I…" She rubbed her neck, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to sort her thoughts out. "I, uhm. Well, I guess it's for my coworker?"

That didn't tell him much, but he nodded. "Can you give me any, uh, any more information? What kind of message do you want portrayed?"

She turned red, and looked around aimlessly at the shelves, as if trying to pick up some sort of idea from the flowers laid out on them. It was clear she had no clue what she wanted; Aoshi couldn't decipher her glances that never lingered on a specific flower.

"Well… When I look at her, it makes me feel warm… She's very pretty too, and she has good fashion taste. I mean, I picked out this outfit with her. But it's not. Not that I feel that way. I… I think."

Aoshi recognised that feeling well. He had felt that same way about someone a while ago, and he thought about it as he looked at his flowers.

Roses… His hand lingered for a moment. No, they were too upfront. He turned, taking a look at other flowers. Tulips… Yellow tulips, and… Carnations? That sounded like a good mix.

"I knew someone like that a while ago. They used to work here, and they always dressed up no matter what." Aoshi said, trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere. That seemed like the right thing to say, as the woman laughed.

"Chou is just like that! I work at the gym, and she always comes in looking incredible. I used to wonder if I was jealous, or something but I… I don't feel any ill will towards her. I don't want to be pitted against her." She sighed, and leaned back in the chair she was in. "That doesn't mean I'm in love with her, right?"

The way it said it sounded like she was, but Aoshi wasn't about to be rude to his customer and assume things. "I'm not sure. Would you like me to write who it's from or who the recipient is?"

"Yes, uhm. It's from Anri Teieri. The recipient is, uhm, Chigiri Chou." She beamed, and watched as Aoshi wrote their names in cursive on a little card, and wrapped it up. "It looks perfect."

Anri got her wallet out to hand him the amount he asked, and picked up her bouquet. She turned to leave, and Aoshi fidgeted.

"I think you should be honest with yourself. If you like her, then that's what's important, isn't it?" She stopped, and looked down at the bouquet in her arms.

"Yeah… I hope she'll like it. Thank you. I can pull some strings for a discounted membership at the gym, if you feel up to it." She smiled, and left Aoshi to his thoughts.

The day seemed to fly by after that, and he was left exhausted as he hauled himself back up to his apartment. Aoshi wanted a drink/

He paused as he opened the cupboard to get out his coffee filters. There were still a few boxes of tea inside that had been left untouched for months. Aoshi hadn't been able to think about even tasting any of the tea that had been pushed to the back of his cupboard, but now… He reached for one. Chamomile. Despite the fact that it had been such a long time since he made himself tea, the actions were second nature. He had kept the teapot clean, as one of the only things they had left behind. Along with Spoon, but she was…

Aoshi let the tea steep, and he could smell the aroma when he poured it out. Sweet, and somewhat like apples. It was comforting as he drank from his teacup, but each sip brought a memory with it. His vision was blurry with tears as he put it down on the counter-top to sink to the floor, sobbing. As much pain as he was in… It felt like a release. Opening a pressurised container of gas to let some of the contents escape, bringing it down to a level where it wasn't at risk of exploding. After his cry, he sipped it again, and found it so much more relaxing. He had missed this flavour.

Aoshi went to bed that night, not quite welcoming the thoughts of them but feeling a small weight lift off of his chest.

-

_Aoshi came to the flower shop a lot. It was nicer here than his apartment, and relaxing in the scents was nice. ── never told him to leave, even insisting that he stay for a cup of tea when he passed by. He was asked his opinion on arrangements, sometimes being told to fetch various flowers for what they were working on. Learning the names of each one was easy for him. Anything to help them._

_"You know, I like you." Aoshi almost dropped his cup, and stared at ──. They had that same serene expression, but there was a blush blooming on their ears and spreading to their cheeks gradually. "You don't have to say anything right now, but…"_

_He swallowed. "Me too."_

_They looked down at the teacup in their hands, and smiled in some strange sort of way that seemed almost melancholy. "Is that so?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is so late! i've been dealing with a lot atm but i finally got this finished! hopefully updates will be easier from now on but anyway as always i'm on twt [@mauvechilli](https://twitter.com/mauvechilli)

**Author's Note:**

> let me know what you thought! hopefully this will have biweekly updates at most! i'm on twt [@miwasdyke](https://twitter.com/miwasdyke)


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